It was the end of the fourth quarter of the game, with 14 seconds left on the clock. The Cowboys were at 3rd and goal, with the end zone almost within reach. But rather than attempting a touchdown, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott opted to throw the ball away despite a wide-open George Pickens.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Dallas eventually had to settle for a field goal, tying with the Ravens at 31-31. In the following drive, Lamar Jackson came in clutch with a 27-yard pass to Ravens WR Zay Flowers, a timeout, and a game-winning field goal to win it for Baltimore.
Prescott received backlash for the move, which critics found flabbergasting. But former NFL star and analyst Kurt Warner had an answer for what may have prompted the Dallas quarterback to make such a mistake. On The Rich Eisen Show on September 30, Warner stated that Prescott may have had past precedents in mind, which prompted him to go for what he believed was the safer option.
“Guys like Dak [who have] been there a million times understand the narrative like, ‘Hey, you know, here’s the situation. Don’t be stupid with the football. If it’s not there, you know, throw the ball away,'” the analyst suggested. “You do all those things. But, you know, it starts pounding in your head because, you know, something like that can just jump back into your head and go, ‘Oh, remember when Drake Maye did that? Okay. Don’t do what Drake Maye did here.’”
Warner’s logic stands to some extent. Drake Maye and the Patriots had enough time to send the Seahawks game into overtime with a field goal. However, Maye decided to play hero ball and was intercepted, creating an uproar over the QB’s performance. Weeks have passed, but the dust has yet to settle on that drama.
“And so you wonder how situations like that play out,” Warner added. “Here’s Dak in a very similar situation, a similar time in the game. And I’m sure that starts to illuminate in his head.”
Prescott himself has admitted that he should have perhaps approached the play in a different manner.
“I probably should’ve just sat on it a little bit longer. Sank on my back foot and just put it on that front pylon. Definitely should have.” Prescott said during the post-game media availability. “Embarrassed. We call ourselves the best offense. You know GOTI (Greatest Offense There Is), and we get down to the one-yard line and we don’t put it in. Yeah, it just sucks. Not a lot of words or a full explanation of it.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has also taken responsibility for the play. He said after the game that Prescott is taught to throw the football away in such situations, adding that he “overcoached” the quarterback.
At this point, it’s futile to think of the what-ifs. Pickens was near the pylon in the end zone. AtoZSports’ Mauricio Rodriguez wrote that WR Ryan Fluornoy was also available. But Prescott chose to throw the ball away.
It’s good to be conservative when the game is on the line. But this time, Prescott was perhaps too conservative.
The play-calling during the Ravens game is also under fire, and Schottenheimer did not shy away from it. He graded his play-calling an F, and honest assessment of everything that went wrong for the Cowboys. Dak Prescott clearly said that the offense was the problem for the defense this time, not the other way around.
Losing a near-win is painful for anybody. But perhaps it stings more for the Cowboys, who are yet to establish themselves as a solid contender this season.